


Songbird

by SoDoRoses (FairyChess)



Series: LAOFT Extras [71]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Singing, fluffy fluffy fluffy fluff, schmoopy goodness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 08:48:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20904905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyChess/pseuds/SoDoRoses
Summary: “Where words leave off, music begins,”-Heinrich Heine





	Songbird

**Author's Note:**

> for these prompts
> 
> "LAOFT prompt: White’s gift also gave Patton a beautiful singing voice. how often does he sing now? does he ever sing Linda to sleep?" (from [@trivia-goddess](trivia-goddess.tumblr.com))
> 
> "Also, in LAOFT, after Patton starts gaining some control over his gift, does he start to embrace singing more?" (from [@violetblossem](violetblossem.tumblr.com))
> 
> The song is actually called “Isn’t This A Lovely Day?” - Patton flubs the title a bit.
> 
> The game Virgil teaches them is implied to be [Tali](http://www.lore-and-saga.co.uk/Tali_Games.pdf), an ancient Roman odds game played with talus bones from various ungulates (deer, goats, cattle, sometimes pigs). Most of the rules of Tali are lost (though we know it had something of a complicated scoring system) so you can picture pretty much anything. It seemed like a suitably Unseelie board game for Virgil to know.
> 
> and thanks to my beta [Vivi_Marius](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vivi_Marius/pseuds/Vivi_Marius) for 1) betaing 2) giving me one of the prompts that produced this and 3) introducing me to the term “fluff without plot” which is a GODTIER set of words

On the one hand, their plans had technically been ruined.

It was rare for the weather to get the drop on Logan or Virgil; they’d both said the chance of rain was slim to none.

But “slim” was still more than “none,” and by the time Roman had showed up at the Sanders house that morning Logan had sheepishly corrected himself – it was absolutely going to rain.

By the time Patton and Virgil arrived, it already was. Virgil seemed even more mortified at being wrong than Logan, seeing as it was technically still winter for another couple of weeks. He muttered something about “just walking out of the dark and air” and tried to hide the fact that he was blushing in embarrassment.

On the other hand, Logan’s house had a tin roof that Roman _adored_ in the rain anyway, and a wide variety of board games perfect for rainy days, so, really – what was there to complain about?

Logan had destroyed everyone in scrabble (Mr. Sanders was the only one of them who’d even come _close_) and Virgil had outright refused to play Pictionary or charades with Logan and Thomas after they’d all gotten their asses handed to them last time.

Virgil had produced a strange set of irregular game pieces and taught them some odd variation of dice, which was fun until he referred to the pieces as “knucklebones” and Patton had realized they were actual deer bones, which grossed him out pretty bad.

That had kind of put everybody off board games (Virgil had looked a little crestfallen, at least until Patton had given him several pecks all over his face and assured him they could make game pieces out of something else and he’d be happy to play) and Mr. Sanders had broken out his old antique record player.

Virgil _loved_ it – he always found technology at least a little amusing, but he nearly beamed at every little crackle-pop of the record. Patton had curled up in his arms on the couch, and Roman sat at the other end with Virgil’s feet in his lap. Logan and Thomas were on the floor with their backs to the couch, watching Mr. and Mrs. Sanders (rocking around the room, half swing and half tripping over their own feet) with secondhand embarrassment and genuine delight all over their faces.

It was all instrumentals, which Roman wasn’t too familiar with, but he could at least recognize jazz when he heard it. He thought. Probably. It was definitely _old_, and not horrible, even if it wasn’t to his own taste.

The quiet was nice. Watching Logan smile fondly at his parents and Virgil shoot little delighted looks at the record player, and Patton fiddle with Virgil’s hoodie with a dreamy expression was even nicer.

So Roman was looking at Patton when it happened – Patton sat up a little, with a curious expression on his face and an adorable little head tilt.

“Oh,” he said, “I know this song,”

Mr. Sanders snorted.

“Sorry,” he assured, “It just sounded a little funny Patton – this song’s older than me,”

“Yeah it’s-”

Patton trailed off, snapping his fingers and wearing a look of endearing concentration.

“Oh, _where_ have I heard this, I know I know it-”

He hummed a few bars of the melody absentmindedly, his voice like a plucked violin, and everybody in the room sat up. Patton didn’t seem to notice, and then-

Soft as velvet. Honey-sweet and warm like summer sunlight-

“…_So I can honestly say-” _he sang quietly “-_that as far as I’m concerned-_”

He clapped suddenly, startling everyone out of their wide-eyed reverie.

“‘It’s A Lovely Day!’ It’s by Ella Fitzgerald, it’s one of the songs on the home video of… um…”

It dawned on him that all of them were blatantly staring.

“Of my… parents’ wedding,” he finished quietly.

There was silence but for the continued strains of the music.

“… Sorry,” murmured Patton.

“Oh, honey, you don’t have to apologize,” said Mrs. Sanders gently. Roman thought her eyes might be a little shiny. “It was lovely,”

Patton shifted a little awkwardly.

“You don’t have to stop, buddy,” said Mr. Sanders, “Not if you don’t want to,”

Patton hesitated.

“You’re not… um. Scared?”

“You have demonstrated mastery over your voice multiple times in the past months,” said Logan, “There is nothing to be scared of,”

He tilted his head back, and Roman caught sight of his flushed face.

“And-”

He cleared his throat.

“And it _was_ lovely, dear,” he said quietly, “Objectively,”

Patton giggled.

Nobody else pressed, but as they all settled back into the rhythm of the room, Logan’s parents picking up their silly dance and the rest of them relaxing into the couch, the words returned, dulcet and angelic and soft as wind-chimes in a breeze…

“_I can see the sun up high, though we’re caught in the storm,”_

Roman reached across the couch, palm up, and ran his thumb along Patton’s knuckles when Patton took it. He closed his eyes, content to listen as long as Patton continued.

“_I can see where you and I could be cozy and warm…”_

_—_

“_…Let the rain pitter-patter, but it doesn’t really matter if the skies are gray-”_

Roman saw Virgil come out of the bedroom, looking around all bleary and confused. He started when he noticed Roman hovering in the doorway of Linda’s bedroom. Pressing a finger to his lips, Roman jerked his head to signal him over.

Virgil peeked his head around the doorway, and immediately clutched at Roman’s hand.

“_-Long as I can stay with you, it’s a lovely day,”_ Patton crooned, one hand soothing through the hair on Linda’s head. She was out cold, her little round cheek on his shoulder as he faced the dark night out the window. She’d left a little drool spot on the shoulder of his shirt, and it should be gross but instead Roman just thought it was adorable.

“_Just as you were going, leaving me all at sea; the clouds broke, they broke and oh, what a break for me…”_

Patton trailed off, tilting his head like he was listening for something. Nothing happened, and he nodded a little, turning, only to spook slightly when he saw Virgil and Roman.

He held up one finger, and Roman nodded. Patton gently tipped Linda back into her bed, wincing a little when she just barely kneaded his shoulder before letting go. He paused after he got her under the covers, listening again; when nothing happened, he smiled and joined them in the hallway.

“She okay?” said Roman softly, when Patton left the door cracked behind him.

Patton nodded.

“She was still awake when I went to get a glass of water,” he said, taking both of them by the hand, and lead them back to their room, “Said her ‘thoughts were too loud’ - she might need a fan or something,”

“Ambient noise,” Virgil murmured in agreement, still a little sleepy himself.

They filed in the room, Logan sitting up slightly in the middle of the bed and squinting at them in the dark.

“S’going on?” he mumbled, “S’Linny okay?”

“Yeah, babe, she’s fine,” said Roman, crawling in beside Logan. Humming happily, Logan pressed up against him immediately, nuzzling his cheek.

“You sure?” he said, a little more awake-sounding.

“She just couldn’t sleep,” Patton assured him as he and Virgil climbed on the other side.

“Patton sang to her, she’s out like a light now,” said Virgil.

“Hmm, good,” said Logan, settling back down. Roman wondered if he’d even remember this conversation in the morning or not. Roman couldn’t decide which option was funnier.

Patton leaned over to kiss the side of Logan’s head, and then tilted his head up to get one from Roman.

“Goodnight, honey,” he said sweetly

“And goodnight to you, our lovely-voiced love,” said Roman, catching Patton’s hand to kiss his palm.

Patton rolled his eyes, a fond smile and faint blush across his face.

“Thanks,” he giggled, kissing Roman’s hand back.

Years ago, Patton would have turned the compliment away, or his thanks would have been brittle and insincere. It made Roman’s heart swell, made him want to coax more noises out of his gorgeous, golden husband; songs and giggles and trilling laughter. As much joyous sound as he could get Patton to make.

But it was late, and Patton’s eyelids were already slipping closed.

Squeezing his hand, Roman let his own fall shut; he could do it tomorrow.

Maybe it would even rain.

**Author's Note:**

> you can also find me over on [tumblr](tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors.tumblr.com)!


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